Page 22 of Dark Princess: Shadows

Well, not literally, of course, but it certainly felt that way.

When the front door opened, Drova perked up, hoping it was Phinas. He was much nicer to her than her own mother, and he tried to be more understanding, but regrettably, it was Jade.

"Magnus is coming over," her mother said without preamble. "He's bringing Parker, Lisa, and Cheryl with him."

Drova's gut squeezed uncomfortably. "So?"

She knew perfectly well why they were coming, and it wasn't going to be pretty, but she pretended as if she couldn't care less.

"You will apologize to them," Jade said. "Taking the will of another is a grave offense in the clan's rulebook. When we moved in here, we agreed to abide by their laws. Thralling and compulsion are only allowed to protect lives and hide us from humans. Never for personal gain."

"It might be their way, but it's not ours." Drova crossed her arms over her chest. "In our rulebook, the strongest get to lead. Besides, I don't remember being told that I can't use compulsion."

No one had known that she had the ability, including herself, so of course, no one had told her not to use it.

Jade's expression hardened. "Imagine if it were the other way around, and Parker was the stronger compeller, using his power to make you do things against your will. Would you be okay with that and say it was his right because he was more powerful, or would you complain to whoever would listen?"

Her mother had a point. "I would probably complain," Drova admitted reluctantly. "But the fact remains that both you and my father ruled because you were the strongest compellers in your communities."

Jade sighed, her expression turning pained. "It's true, but being under Igor's control taught me an important lesson. I no longer use my compulsion ability to rule over others. I do the best jobI can for them and hope it's enough for them to see me as their leader. You must agree that mine is a better way."

She was right, but she was also wrong, and Drova did not have all the answers.

"I agree that meritocracy is better than dictatorship," she conceded, "but we shouldn't forget our ways and become copies of the immortals either. We need to forge our own identities in a way that preserves our unique traditions, and?—"

"Save this debate for another day," Jade cut her off. "Today, you will apologize to Lisa, Cheryl, and Parker and accept whatever retribution your victims demand."

Mother above, they would probably do everything they could to humiliate her. Then again, no one could force her to do anything she didn't want to.

She could always refuse.

She was already under house arrest. What else could they do to her?

Her mother's stern expression prevented her from voicing her pushback, but the knowledge that she could refuse to do anything that was too abhorrent was a comfort.

"When will they be here?" Drova asked instead.

"Soon. I can't stay to supervise, nor do I want to. I trust Magnus to be fair and not let things get out of hand." Jade turned on her heel and went out the door.

Drova resumed her position by the window.

She hated having to apologize when she didn't feel truly remorseful. Well, maybe she was a little sorry about forcing thetwo human girls to steal for her, but she wasn't sorry for Parker. There was no way he didn't use his own meager compulsion abilities to gain advantages with the girls at the human school he attended, or force his teachers to give him better grades, so if he came up with some horrible thing for her to do as retribution, it would be hypocritical on his part.

Still, he was a decent guy and had never been mean to her. Lisa and Cheryl had been even nicer, welcoming her to the village when she'd first arrived and doing their best to make her feel at home.

She had repaid their kindness with manipulation and betrayal, excusing her actions with the lame adage that it was survival of the fittest. In the Kra-ell society, the weak served the strong, and everyone accepted the pecking order, and that was how it should be, but they weren't Kra-ell, so it hadn't been fair to them.

Whatever.

It didn't matter now.

There was no taking back what had been done.

The question was what potential punishments her former "minions" might demand. Would they try to humiliate her? Make her shovel manure in the barn or herd the animals?

The uncertainty gnawed at her, but she pushed it aside. She was a powerful Kra-ell, and she could handle whatever they threw at her.

What a bloody mess.

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